


Henry and the Lost Boy (aka Henry Learns A Lesson)

by marty_mcfly_jr



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Episode: s03e08 Think Lovely Thoughts, Episode: s03e11 Going Home, Gen, a grandpastiltskin story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2019-11-17 15:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18101162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marty_mcfly_jr/pseuds/marty_mcfly_jr
Summary: Pan taunted, "I see you didn't tell anyone that I'm your father."'you're hiswhat?' I thought. I couldn't believe my ears. How could this, thiskidbe anyone's father?(Henry's POV - he witnesses Gold and Pan's confontation by the giant hourglass) (this is not exactly canon)





	1. Chapter 1

I don't know how long I was in Neverland. Time stood still there. I couldn't imagine what these poor lost boys on that island must have felt like. They seemed to have been there for centuries. 

My dad once mentioned that Neverland was not what I thought it was. I wondered if my dad was ever in Neverland, and if he was, how did he get out? 

Peter Pan wanted me to save magic. I was on the way to Skull Rock with him. He thought that I believed a word he said, but I could see right through the lying manipulator! I just didn't know what to do about it. He scared me. I had to pretend that I was falling for his antics, because _everyone_ fell for his antics. I couldn't blame them of course, he was REALLY good at manipulation. 

For example, Pan tried to convince me that no one loved me, because he wanted me to be able to hear his depressing music. He was very mad that I couldn't hear it. This is how he gets his boys to follow him. First he convinces them that they have no home with their parents, and then he becomes their only hope. When I woke up to a scuffle and heard my dad, Pan almost made me believe it was just a dream, and I almost lost hope. Then I remembered my book. Good always wins. My dad was good; of course he wouldn't just die because Tamara shot him. 

My dad was there, I just knew it! I also knew that my moms were there, now that I saw them through the mirror they sent me. I was sorry I had to step on it and break it, but I couldn't let Peter Pan know that I was not totally his.

Now, there I was, on a rowboat with Peter Pan on the way to Skull Rock. I thought that my parents better hurry up.

***************  
*********  
****

 

"What is this, amateur hour?" Regina couldn't believe how gullible and _stupid_ her all powerful Dark One friend became. This island can have this effect on even the most powerful man she'd ever known, there's no hope for the rest of them! 

"Did you really think _that_ was Belle?"

Rumple looked uncharacteristically distracted and very annoyed. "Why are you here?" He demanded.

"Well, for starters, it appears I'm saving your ass. You were about to be Pan's lunch!"

Rumple had the decency to look embarrassed, "oh, what do you care," he mumbled.

"I care," Regina said, "because I've been camping with the Charmings for a week. We're getting nowhere. If I want to save Henry, I need you. I need Rumplestiltskin." 

"Well, the problem, _dearie_ " Rumple said, walking away from Regina and looking like he's been having a bad week, "is that Rumplestiltskin can only stop Pan by _dying_ "

Regina thought this was a really funny joke. "We're the two most powerful people that ever lived!" she said incredulously, "the Evil Queen and the Dark One? I'm sure we could handle one _smug_ teenager."

Rumple was getting REALLY annoyed. He turned to her angrily and shouted, "you've never faced him! I have! And I know what killing him requires. My life."

Regina looked at him and saw the truth in his eyes. She realized that this was no joke. Whoever this teenager is, he is much more powerful than he looks. 

"Well," Regina sighed, "if that's the case, maybe we don't have to kill him. Maybe we can just take away his magic? Did you being that cuff? The one Greg and Tamara used on me."

"It's back in my shop," Rumple said regretfully. 

"Why didn't you bring it?" Regina asked slapping him playfully on his shoulder.

"Because I came here to kill him,"Rumple admitted, "and die in the process."

Regina scoffed, "I could have told you that wasn't going to happen. I know you and your survival instincts."

"Some of them just kicked in." Gold mumbled.

"Good," Regina said, relieved. He was really starting to worry her with his unusual doom and gloom attitude, "now all we have to do is go back to your shop, pick up that cuff and all our problems will be solved."

"Travel between realms. Is that all," Gold asked sarcastically. 

Regina led him to the water where she called Ariel for help.

*****************  
***************  
************

 

We reached the cave and went inside. I saw Pan enchanting the entrance and hoped my moms could find a way to get through in time. I could see rowboats approaching from far. It could be my family coming to save me. Pan saw it too, I guess, because he told me to wait by the big rock. He said he had to do something. Right. He probably had to stop my family from saving me. He is scary, but he's just a kid. I hoped the adults in the party would overcome him.

Pan has a way of blocking people out from one another. His magic is really powerful. So when he made me wait by the rock I thought I'd be able to follow him and see what he does. Somehow, he managed to disappear while walking towards the entrance of the cave. 

I didn't give up, though. I strained my ears and wished with all my might that I could see what's going on. And then I saw them. Mr. Gold came for me. I was really surprised, but I guessed that my moms made him come with them. 

Mr. Gold was holding the magic cuff that my mom had on, the one that took away her magic. He also held a straw doll. I thought it was weird. But Mr. Gold looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. His face looked like he was about to meet the principal after causing trouble in school. He looked scared and also very sad. 

Suddenly I got worried. I remembered something that I thought was a dream. Before waking up to that sound of my dad yelling for me, I heard a conversation between my dad and Mr. Gold. Something about a prophacy, my dad was afraid that Mr. Gold wanted to kill me. I wasn't sure that it was so serious. I mean, I've known Mr. Gold my whole life, and he never looked like he wanted to kill ME. He seemed to _like_ me. I kind of liked him too.

It could be that Pan just manipulated my dad to believe that. It seems that Pan really likes it when parents and children don't get along. 

"Hello, Laddie," Pan greeted Mr. Gold. 

_laddie?_ why is this teen calling Mr. Gold _laddie_?

Mr. Gold did not waste any time. He snapped the cuff on Pan's wrist before Pan could blink. 

"Aw, you took away my magic," Pan mocked. 

"Where's Henry?" Mr. Gold asked. He didn't seem to want to talk to Pan.

"Henry," Pan sneered, "oh, he wants to be a hero, but he is just like you. A snivelling coward." 

"He is nothing like me. Henry is brave and smart and _good_ like his parents. He has a whole family who loves him." Mr. Gold advanced towards Pan. "Where is he?" He demanded.

"All in good time," Pan taunted, "I see you didn't tell anyone that I'm your father."

'you're his _what_?' I thought. I couldn't believe my ears. How could this, this _kid_ be anyone's father?

"I didn't want Baelfire to know." Mr. Gold looked flustered.

"You didn't want them to know how _alike_ the two of us are, did you?" Pan helped. 

Mr. Gold looked down, ashamed.

"Neither of us were cut out to be a father, you know. You traded your son for the power of the dagger, and I traded you for youth." Pan jeered. 

"I regretted it the second I let go of his hand!" Mr. Gold said angrily, "I spent every moment of my life since to try and find him. You just forgot about me."

I was shell shocked. I couldn't believe they were father and son! In the back of my mind I understood that this makes Pan my great grandfather, but at the time I didn't even want to think about that. It was all so awful, and I just kept watching them, listening.

"I didn't forget about you," Pan laughed, "Why do you think I call myself Peter Pan?"

That was it. I HAD to know more about this. 

Just as I WISHED I knew something more about all of it, I could suddenly see Mr. Gold's thoughts. I saw a memory that he was reliving at that moment, and I suddenly knew the whole story. I knew about the doll that his papa gave him, I knew he named it Peter Pan, I knew how he lost it when it dropped on the Neverland ground because his papa shook little baby Rumple off of his sleeve and sent him with the monstrous shadow. I also knew about how my own dad was pulling Mr. Gold into the portal - the same kind of portal he used with his father to get to Neverland. I knew that it was Mr. Gold holding onto Baelfire's hand, and I wondered if he noticed the difference between these two memories. 

Why did he feel that he was exactly like his father? I knew he felt it because I could still read his mind. 

"So you took away my magic, now you're standing around, not trying to kill me because you want to hear what I think about you? you want me to look at my son and think about what might have been?"

Peter Pan knew Mr. Gold too well. I felt sorry for Mr. Gold because he looked so pathetic, waiting for his papa to acknowledge him. I almost came out of my hiding place and stopped Pan. I was scared for Mr. Gold, because he was only going to be hurt more by this.

"I remember looking at you... the littlest babe. Helpless and all mine. Those big, big eyes full of tears... pulling at me... pulling away my name, my money, my time. Pulling away any hope of making my life into something better for myself." Pan said Vehemently, "This pink, naked, squirming little larva that wanted to eat my dreams alive and never stop! How old are you now? A couple hundred? Can't I be free of you?"

I never saw this much hate on anyone's face. I never knew a father could hate his son so much.

Mr. Gold looked as sad as I expected when he made a ball of fire in his hand and said, "oh, you will."

Mr. Gold didn't seem to want to throw that fire on Pan. He took too long just pointing the fire at him.

Suddenly Pan smiled the most unnerving smile that made Mr. Gold step backwards.

"Then, one last lesson, son. Never make a cage you can't get out of." Peter Pan ripped off the cuff from his wrist as easily as if it were just a bracelet. Mr. Gold looked shocked, but he didn't move. "I _made_ this thing, you know. Doesn't work on me. But on you..." Pan magically put the cuff on Mr. Gold's wrist,and Mr. Gold's face broke into the most fearful expression I ever saw on anyone.

I suddenly had a terrible feeling of doom as Pan threw Mr. Gold across the cave, saying, "down, boy," I couldn't believe how a father could talk to his son that way; like he's a dog. Mr. Gold tried to stand up but Pan kicked him down again and sniped at him, "let's see how you do without magic."

Mr. Gold tried to pull the cuff off of his wrist as Pan advanced on him, spitting, "You're nothing but a useless coward. Everyone hates you. Your family will never forgive you for all the _horrible_ things you've done." Pan emphasized the word horrible like a bully talking to a gullible child, who thinks he did something horrible by mistakenly breaking a cheap toy or something. I started to wonder what kind of horrible things the dark one could have done. Nothing worse than what Pan was doing right at that moment, I was sure.

"Belle doesn't hate me," Gold whimpered as Pan kicked him down again.

Pan scoffed, "Belle? It's too late. because of their special meaning to you, I'm going to kill Belle and your son! Right after Henry gives me his heart, and you," Pan hissed, "You'll just watch helplessly, because you're back to where you always were: the village coward." 

A part of me wanted to move in to help my grandpa Gold, but I was rooted to the ground by shock and fear.

I watched Pan walk away and I knew he was going to find me and talk me into giving him my heart. 

He came around towards me and his face looked so calm and his voice so sweet and innocent when he told me it was time, that I almost believed that what I saw back at the giant hourglass was just my imagination. Pan looked like the nicest boy who only wants to help me be a hero.

He waved his hand over mine and made it glow, telling me that now I'd be able to take my heart out and give it to him. I knew that there was no way anyone could come and save me. I almost did as I was told, when my grandpa Gold slapped his hand hard on Pan's shoulder and shoved him away from me.

"Stay away from him," my grandpa said harshly.

Peter Pan literally laughed in his face. I agreed with Pan, as much as I hated to. My grandpa Gold was powerless. He couldn't do anything about any of this.

"The worm has teeth," Pan joked, "are you here to pwotect your gwand son?"

"Henry, your parents are here. All of them. They will take you home."

"Why would Henry want to go?" Pan laughed, "We're friends, aren't we?" Pan looked at me and smiled.

I looked back at Pan. The image of innocence. Then I turned to grandpa Gold, "my parents are here?"

They're right outside the cave, go to them," Mr. Gold urged, "Tell your father that I used the curse to find him; to tell him that I made a mistake; and to make sure that he has a chance at happiness." 

. I looked at Mr. Gold, "Tell him yourself," I said.

"Also," my grandpa Gold took a scroll out of his pocket, "I meant to give this to Emma. this is the recipe that I made for the elixir that will heal your grandpa Charming from the dreamshade." 

I took it. "Keep it safe," he said, "and tell Bae that I love him. And Belle... Tell her I love her, and that she made me stronger."

I did not like where this was going, but Pan seemed to find it all very funny. 

"Now, go, Henry. you'll get home, I promise. Run to your parents, they miss you."

the urgency in his voice made me realize that whatever he thought he was doing, It depended on me rushing to my parents. I started running. I heard Peter Pan's laughter echo through the cave and decided to look back for just a second. 

I saw a shadow fly towards My grandfather and Pan, but it wasn't the regular shadow. this one looked different, and it was holding the Dark One's dagger. It attached itself to my grandfather and Pan. For the first time, Pan looked fearful.

"Henry can't run too far. This is my island. I immobilized everyone in it, so they're all mine, as long as I'm alive, and I know you can't kill me." Pan said. 

I tried to move, and when I couldn't, I realized that Pan was telling the truth.

Grandpa Gold did not answer. He held Pan and lifted his dagger. 

"What are you doing?" Pan looked really scared, now. 

"You see, the only way for you to die, is if we both die. And now, I'm ready." 

My grandpa stabbed Pan and himself with the dagger and Pan panicked.

"No, you can't do that!" He shouted as a black cloud turned him back into an adult. I recognized this adult from the memories I saw. 

Grandpa Gold said, "Hello, papa."

His father looked terrified. Please, Rumple," he begged, "You're the dark one. you can't end the darkness. Do you know what will happen to you?"

"I'm sure that I do," My grandfather said, pointing to his head. 

I understood what he meant. All the former dark Ones were probably giving him the same warning. When I saw into his thoughts I understood the struggle that he was constantly having with the darkness.

Pan did not give up. "You will be in the underworld! Not just the underworld, but a special place in there - where you will wish the stories of fire and brimstone were true! You will wish for death and then the realization will hit that you are already dead and that this fresh torture is all you'll have left!"

"It's the price I am finally willing to pay." My grandfather said fiercely.

"Just remove the dagger! You can live! We can have a happy ending -"

"Oh, but I'm a villain," my grandpa said to Pan sadly, "and villains don't get happy endings."

He twisted the dagger deeper into himself and a brilliant light shone out of him. His father was shaking with fear, and I saw my grandpa kiss his father right before they both exploded into a million shiny pieces. During the explosion, I saw the dagger fall to the ground.

A sudden wind blew and I knew instinctively that I had less than a second to grab onto the fallen dagger before Neverland would disappear and I'll be at home. It was still warm from my grandpa Gold's hand.

A second later, I was standing with my whole family in the middle of Storybrooke.


	2. Chapter 2

We were all in the middle of Storybrooke I was still on the ground having just picked up the dagger. I had time to glimpse at it, and notice that my grandpa’s name was erased from it, before tucking it away under my shirt.

“We’re here?!”

“We were saved!”

“We did it! We saved Henry!”

Between so many happy voices, I didn’t know who shouted the last one. _we_ did it?

I looked around. My whole family was there. My moms and my dad and my grandparents were all coming to me wanting to hug me. I hugged all of them back, because I love them so much, and I missed them, but I waited for them to notice that grandpa Gold was missing.

I saw Belle from a distance. I assumed she heard us and expected to see grandpa Gold with us.

I saw her approach Granny and Red, to maybe ask if they know where he is.

I hurried away, excusing myself before she would come towards me. I was so afraid of having to tell her… I couldn’t even believe it myself! Grandpa Gold was such a big part of everyone’s lives. He was a force of life itself.

I thought about him as I headed towards his shop. I read the sign wistfully, ‘Mr. Gold’s Shop’ and wondered who would run it now.

I entered the shop and started working on the elixir for grandpa Charming. I knew that this was what grandpa Gold would have been doing right now, if he were here. My heart fell into my stomach when it occurred to me that he will never be here again. It felt so strange, rummaging through his things in his shop without asking permission.

I remembered how I helped August sneak into the back of the shop by talking to Mr. Gold. It was so easy to manipulate him by pretending I wanted to buy a gift for Mary Margaret. He was so happy to help me!

My hands shook when I put the empty dagger down on the counter and pocketed the newly brewed elixir.

I found my grandparents Charming sitting across each other on a booth at Granny’s.

“Here,” I said handing the bottle to my grandfather, “this should cure you.”

Charming looked at me and asked, “where did you get it?”

“Mr. Gold wanted you to have it,” I said, and skipped away, remembering that I made a mess in Mr. Gold’s shop and did not put away the ingredients.

Back at the shop, I placed everything back where it was when I suddenly heard the bell over the door ring.

“Rumple?”

Belle.

She must have heard my tinkering and thought that my grandpa was in the shop.

“It’s me,” I yelled immediately, I did not want her to have false hope, “Henry.”

She came inside and gave me a shaky smile. “Hi Henry. What are you doing here?” She asked distractedly, “do you know where Rumple might be?”

I looked down. “I don’t know, ” I said.

I never really spoke to Belle before. I was afraid of being the bearer of such terrible news. I looked at the nameless dagger on the counter not knowing what to do.

Belle followed my gaze and her eyes landed on the dagger.

She reached for it, her hands were shaking as she held it.

“How did this get here,” she asked in panic when she saw that it was blank. “I sent him that black leather wristband with Ariel. Do you know if he got it?”

I was still not looking at her. I shrugged and kept my eyes on the floor, opening my mouth but not trusting myself to speak.

Belle fell to the ground crying, “noooo”!”

Her hands shook and the dagger dropped. I picked it up, holding it reverently. This was the last thing he held. This was the tool he used to save all of us.

“Rumple!” She cried, “is – is he gone?”

I didn’t know what to do. I hugged her, my own eyes getting misty.

“He saved us,” I said in a chocked voice.

I remembered, then, what he told me in Skull Rock. “he told me to tell you that he loves you, and, and, that you made him stronger.”

The events of the past couple of hours were swirling in my mind: learning that Peter Pan was Mr. Gold’s father, seeing into Mr. Gold’s thoughts, knowing how much he regretted letting go of my dad’s hand by the portal.

It was almost physically painful for me to remember how abusive Pan was towards his kid, and to know how gtandpa Gold thought he was just as bad as his father. He sacrificed his life _and_ afterlife to save us, _from his own father._ Pan wanted to kill my dad and Belle, for no reason, just to hurt his son.

I had to go see him. I had to go see my dad and talk to him.

I left Belle crying in the shop, feeling terrible about having given her painful news, and made my way to Granny’s.

I met my moms on the way; they were looking for me.

“Where were you, Henry?”

“I, I was with my dad,” I lied. “Moms, I love you,” I said, “but I thought I lost my dad! Is it OK if I stay at his place for a while?”

My moms looked at each other, “sure,” they said together.

I met Grumpy, who also said that people were looking for me. He saw me coming from Mr. Gold’s shop and asked if I saw Belle. I told him to go talk to her. I told him she needed a friend.

I found my dad on the other side of town, also looking for me.

“Where were you, Henry?”

“I was with my moms,” I lied again.

“Really? Because they also couldn’t find you,” my dad said.

“I, I must have been with my grandparents Charming or maybe I was talking to one of the lost boys when they didn’t see me”

I took my dad’s hand. “Dad, can I stay at your place tonight?”

“Sure,” my dad said.

“Dad,” I began, “are you very angry at Mr. Gold?”

My dad put his arm around my shoulders and started walking with me, “oh, you don’t need to worry about these things” my dad said.

“But I do!” I turned to my dad, stopping to walk, “I’m not a baby, and this is my family. I want to know what’s going on. Why are you mad at grandpa Gold?”

“I just don’t trust him, and I think you should stay away from him too.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m afraid he wants to kill you.”

I laughed for the first time since being taken to Neverland. It was an uncontrollable kind of laughter that stopped my dad in his tracks. He looked at me, worried, because my eyes filled with tears and I started crying at the same time.

“I’m sorry, Henry,” my dad leaned down on one knee to get to my eye level, “Henry, oh, I don’t want you to worry about it! I shouldn’t have said anything. You don’t need to kn-“

“No!” I shouted, interrupting him. He seemed to think that I was afraid. Maybe I was too young and fragile to hear about someone wanting to kill me.

I wanted him to know that it wasn’t THAT. So I said, “dad, _I’m_ OK! _I_ am good, dad! But you, how about _you_? You are angry at your father because you thought he wanted to kill me?” I shook my head, “I know he is the Dark One, and all, but you forget. I’ve known him my whole life. All he had to do was snap his fingers and I’d be dead.”

I said that between gales of laughter and sobs, and my dad might have misinterpreted it, because he looked like he wanted to wrap me in a blanket and take me to a safe place and tell me that everything will be OK.

I forced myself to calm down for my father’s sake. I took a few deep breaths and then I put my hands on my father’s shoulders.

I looked him in the eyes and asked, “do you forgive your father for letting go of your hand at that portal?”

My dad stared at me for a few moments. He probably saw the urgency on my face, because he seemed to think it was about me.

“Henry, I understand if you don’t forgive me for leaving your mother and not knowing about you until –“

“No.” I interrupted him again, not laughing this time. “It’s not about us, dad. It’s about you and grandpa. I _need_ to know. Do you forgive him?”

“Why is it so important to you?” My dad was still on one knee at my eye level, and I still had my hands on his shoulders.

“I have to know if you hate your father. Did, did your father ever tell you that he hates you and wants to be rid of you? Did he ever call you an unloved, lonely lost boy? Did he want to kill everyone you love just to hurt you and make you feel worthless?”

My father looked horrified. He wiped the tears I didn’t realize I had on my face and hugged me to his heart. “My father always loved me, even when he was at his worst. He would never hurt me, Henry. I shouldn’t have believed Pan. I should trust him.” He smoothed my hair, “why do you talk like that, Henry? Did you hear such talk in Neverland? Is there a boy whose father would say such things to? Because no one should ever talk like that to _any_ human being.”

I nodded into my dad’s shoulders. “I was so sad for him, I can’t _take_ it!” I sobbed, “his father threw him across the room and kicked him when he tried to get up.”

My dad squeezed my arm gently and said, “these boys have been in Neverland for centuries, Henry. Pan convinces them that their parents hate them. He did it to me also. I was talked into being more afraid of my own father than he deserved. After all, he became the Dark One to save me and he saved all my friends too. Maybe this boy has a distorted memory of his father?”

“No,” I sniffed, “I saw his memories. He was such a little boy, half my age! His father was the only family he knew, and he tossed him to the shadow.”

My dad moved back to look at me. “Who is this boy? Maybe we could help him. I can take him in.”

“We can’t,” I said shaking my head, “I just want you to forgive grandpa Gold. He wasn’t such a bad father. He came to neverland to save me, even though he thought you were dead. He didn’t even have to kill me if he wanted me dead. Pan would have done that for him.”

“Let’s go to his shop and I will apologize for being so mistrusting of him, OK?”

“No,” I said.

“No? Why? Did you see him when he got into that cave to get you?”

I nodded, “he said he used the curse to find you; to tell you he made a mistake; and to make sure you have a chance at happiness. He told me that he loves you.”

“Henry, I really want to go talk to him. If you don’t want to come –“

“We can’t dad,” I said choking up, “it’s too late,” I started crying again and my dad hugged me.

“Why?” He asked me, quietly, “what’s going on?”

I really didn’t want to tell him. It was so hard to speak it out loud. My dad would never think it unless I tell him, because no one would believe that the Dark One could die. “He’s dead.” I said it. “He saved all of us. He got us out of Neverland. He killed Pan.”

My father’s face turned pale. “What,” he whispered. But he heard what I said and I wasn’t going to say it again. His chin shook, and I knew that he wanted to ask me if I’m sure and he stopped himself because he knew I wouldn’t lie about such a thing.

“I didn’t believe him,” he whispered regretfully.

We stayed there, together, in the middle of the street. I was emotionally drained and my dad was too shocked and too sad to move.

After a while, my dad said, “what about that little boy, why can’t we find him? We can adopt him and give him a family.”

“Because it happened centuries ago. He is not little anymore.”

“You said,” my dad pressed, “that his father gave him to the shadow.” He looked thoughtful, “Did you see Peter Pan’s memories? Was his father this terrible?”

"Peter Pan was not his real name. It was a name his son gave the doll he got from him.”

"His _son_?!"

“Yes, Pan was once an adult. He was the terrible father. His son wanted to stay with him, so when he said he wanted to go to Neverland, even though it did not really exist outside of children’s dreams, the little boy wished it to be, and that’s how Neverland was created. The father wasn’t happy enough. He wanted more power:he wanted to fly. He wanted youth. So he got rid of his son and called himself Peter Pan.”

My dad looked really sad, “so… that boy was what kept Neverland going?”

I bowed my head, “the only way to end Peter Pan and Neverland was to kill the person who wished for it in the first place.”

I hesitated. “I can’t tell you anymore, because I heard grandpa Gold say to Pan that he didn’t want you to know. So I won’t say anymore.”

“What didn’t he want me to know?”

“I won’t say. You know, grandpa Gold believed that he was as bad a father as Pan. because he abandoned you also. Do you think so?”

“No! they were not the same! My papa came back for me." My dad pondered. "This poor boy, Pan’s or whatever his real name’s son, did my father kill him?”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t tell my father the truth, out of respect for my grandfather, but now my dad will think even worse of my grandpa.

“He was not a little boy,” I tried, “He was an old man already.” I looked around for something to help me find the right words, and I saw my mom Regina passing by. She saw my tear streaked face and stopped in front of us.

“What happened,” she asked my dad accusingly.

I didn’t have the energy to have adults arguing about me so I came right out and said it. “My grandpa — Mr. Gold is dead.”

Regina took a few steps back in complete shock.


	3. Chapter 3

“He didn’t,” my mom said, “it can’t be! He’s way too smart for that.”

She looked at me, then at my dad, and back at me. “No,” she answered our sad looks, “no, it’s not possible, he’s the most powerful, the most clever -” she looked at me, her eyes going wide, “is this how we got home?”

I couldn’t believe she figured it out so quickly. My face must have shown it, because she explained, “he told me that he could only defeat Pan by dying. But then I advised him not to kill Pan, just take away his magic. Didn’t he have that cuff?”

“What,” my dad looked very distressed upon hearing this.

“It didn’t work, the cuff,” I told my mom Regina, “Pan made it. It didn’t work on him.”

“And he couldn’t stop one _pompous_ adolescent without losing his life? I’ve seen him defeat much bigger and more terrifying monsters without ever breaking a sweat! He’s turned whole worlds upside down, and he couldn’t end a pretty-little-boy without ending himself in the process?”

As my mom was rambling angrily, I saw in my peripheral vision my dad falling. I turned to him and saw that he was very pale and shaking and tears were rolling down his face.

I rushed to him and hugged him tightly.

“What happened?” I asked.

My mom saw us and went silent.

“The only way to end Neverland…” my father choked – he could barely talk, he was so overwhelmed with sadness. “that little boy… oh, papa…”

My dad made a considerable effort to talk. He asked, “is this what you couldn’t tell me? Pan — it’s him? Is he my grandfather?”

I hugged him tighter in answer, and he sobbed.

Regina looked at me sorrowfully, she looked too uncomfortable to ask what was going on, so I explained some of it to her over my dad’s shoulder.

“I saw into his thoughts because I wished it.” I continued, explaining to my mom and my dad. “This is how Neverland works. You have to wish something and it comes true. I heard Peter Pan and Mr. Gold talking and I wished I knew more about it. By the time I figured out how Neverland worked, it was too late.”

“So this was why he couldn’t think straight,” my mom mused. “I’ve never seen him so insecure before. Pan used emotional warfare. It seems that, Gold, being _already so_ traumatized, couldn’t win at a game of emotional manipulation.”

My mom Regina looked mildly frustrated. “Whenever I think I have him all figured out, I find that I never really knew him at all,” she mumbled to herself.

**********

*******

****

Belle heard the bell jingle and looked up to see Grumpy step in.

“Are you OK? Why are you crying, Belle,” Grumpy asked, rushing towards her.

“Henry was here before, and, and… Oh, I’m very happy that Henry and everyone is safe, but, Oh,” she sobbed, and Grumpy hugged her.

“Belle,” Grumpy looked confused, “why are you crying, and where is Gold?”

“He’s gone!” Belle cried, “he died.”

Grumpy moved back in shock, but he kept his arms around Belle. “What are you saying? How is it possible? The Dark One is immortal!”

“No,” Belle shook her head. “There are ways. The Dark One’s dagger.” She pointed at the dagger with her chin.

Grumpy looked at it. “Did someone stab him with it,” he asked quietly.

“I don’t really know what happened. Henry was too distraught to talk about it, but if Rumple understood the prophacy correctly, well, there were many prophecies, he could see some pieces of the future, you know,”

Grumpy allowed Belle to ramble even though he did not understand what she was trying to say.

The jingle of the little bell made both look up. They saw Henry walk in hesitantly with Regina and Neal.

*************

********

It was my dad’s idea. He wanted to go to his papa’s shop. Regina, my mom, wanted to see Belle and to apologize for separating them for the little time they could have had together.

“Henry,” Belle breathed. Her eyes were puffy and she looked like she wanted to beg me to tell her how – to tell her more, but she wouldn’t ask me. She was afraid that I wasn’t ready to talk.

It was very hard for me to look Belle in the eye when I told her what happened, and how the cuff she sent didn’t work, and how Gold saved me – all of us – from Pan.

“He could have lived. He could have saved us and lived,” my dad said, after he calmed down a little and caught his breath. “We caught a squid together. We had the ink! Pan was immobile and we had Henry. All we had to do was leave Neverland,” my dad lamented, “and then I – oh, papa, I’m sorry,” my dad was sobbing again.

“What did you do?” My mom Regina asked, and Grumpy gave her a dirty look that said “tactless”.

My dad had his face in his hands when he told us how he immobilized his papa after Pan told him about the prophacy. “Why did I believe Pan? Why did I not trust my father?” He looked like his heart was going to burst with regret.

Belle shook her head, “it’s not your fault," she said, “Rumple knew years ago that he would – look, I used to follow him around in the dark castle… He knew that one day he would have to pay the price.”

“What are you saying,” Regina asked Belle.

“You see, when Rumple ended the Ogers’ war for my father and asked for me, I knew that he never needed a maid. He just snapped his fingers and the castle was spotless. When I saw that, I thought he might want me for other things, but he never demanded anything from me. This puzzled me and I started following him around and noticed that he would talk. I thought he spoke to himself, but then I realized that he had, people; voices in his head. The darkness was with him wherever he went. He complained to it that he hated having me there and considered letting me go…

************

**************

Rumple looked at the darkness, agitated, “I’ll just leave a door open,” he said, “like, by mistake.”

“Suit yourself,” said the darkness, “you will pay an even greater price. Your deeds are accumulating. No good deed will go unpunished. You lost your son for stopping the first Ogers’ war.”

“I’ll find him,” Rumple hissed showing his teeth.

“You are not supposed to ever see him again. That’s the price.”

“A price I am not willing to pay.”

“Then you’ll pay it in death.” The darkness cackled, “you’d better be careful with that dagger of yours. If someone kills you and takes the darkness, you won’t just die and rest in peace.”

Rumple smirked.

“Oh, I know what you’re thinking,” the darkness goaded. “It will be a thousand times worse if you do that. You can’t end the darkness. It’s here to stay. And you can’t use it for good anymore. Your punishment will just be more and more severe.”

“Well, I’m not paying for this war, am I?” Rumple tried not to lose his cool or look too worried.

“As long as you keep that beauty locked up, you won’t,” the darkness said. "Since she’s already here, why not use her? She seems into you, you know.”

Rumple took a step back looking horrified, “don’t ever talk that way about her again,” he said to the darkness threateningly.

************

*************

“In the end, he was willing to pay the price and he let me go, but when you locked me up, Regina, you inadvertently saved him from having to pay it, because, technically, I was still not free. I was still paying it myself.”

Regina wanted to know something else: “so, all those months you were in his castle.. he never touched you?” Regina was astounded.

“He never did, unless he needed to save me from falling, but he released me right away and stepped away from me, so I wouldn’t think he’s demanding anything.”

“Wow,” Grumpy marveled.

“I think I intimidated him a little with my increasingly intimate advances,” Belle laughed sadly, and then looked down awkwardly and blushed, realizing too late that I was there. And so was my dad.


	4. Chapter 4

We were saved by the bell from this awkward moment. My mom Emma walked in, hair flying in the breeze from the open door behind her. Snow and Charming were following close behind.

“Where’s Gold,” she asked.

And then she noticed my dad. He didn’t look very good. My mom rushed to him, but before she could ask, my mom, Regina, said, “Gold is dead, and your boyfriend believes it’s because no one trusted him.”

“ _I_ didn’t trust him,” my dad said into my mom’s hair, because she was hugging him protectively.

“We didn’t trust him because of the prophacy,” my mom, Emma, said, “right?” She looked at my dad. “Is he really dead,” she asked uncertainly.

“What exactly _was_ that prophacy,” I asked.

“A boy will help him find his son,” Belle volanteered, “and that boy will be his undoing.”

“I wanted to thank him for curing me from the dreamshade," David, my grandpa, said. "I didn’t expect him to give me the elixir without a price.”

“Oh, the price was paid in full,” Regina said to Emma.

“Why, what happened? How?” She looked at me for signs of damage, “Henry, what did you pay for this elixir you gave grandpa Charming?”

“My innocence,” I said, and my mom looked horrified, so I continued. “I used to think that that an ugly, old, scaly Dark wizard was definitely a monster and a bad guy. If someone looked young, pretty, with innocent eyes, he must be the good guy.”

My mom looked at me strangely, and then she looked at my dad, who actually cracked a small smile.

I had my parents’ full attention, so I talked. “The dark one is supposed to kidnap children and force them to fight endless, pointless wars, not stop a war and save a thousand children. He’s not supposed to heal people with that magic, he’s supposed to destroy people. He’s supposed to – like all the proper Dark Ones before him, make the world a worse place.”

“Snuff out the light-” Belle said quietly. “I read about the Dark One lore. This was what all dark ones set out to do.”

“He told me he wanted to turn it toward good, when I helped him with the sheep’s wool, the lanolin,” my dad said longingly remembering simpler times with his papa.

“How did he die,” Emma asked, looking around.

“He sacrificed his life to save us all,” my dad said quietly.

“Was Peter Pan really that unbeatable,” Snow wondered aloud, “so indestructable, that even the most powerful man in all the realms…” Snow looked around for help, she was lost for words

“It’s more complicated than that,” Belle said. “I don’t think Rumple would want me to say anything, but -“

“We know,” I said.

“Oh,” Belle said, “so you understand why it was so hard for him to kill his own father. He was the only family he had, growing up. He was the only one who would give him food every now and then. And clothes, and a place to live. He loved his father, even after he was abandoned by him.”

“There’s no greater pain than regret,” my dad said with a sob. It seemed to plague my dad more than my grandpa’s death. He couldn’t get over knowing how lonely and lost and abandoned my grandpa Gold was. He couldn’t come to terms with the fact that, while he felt all this anger for his papa for letting go of his hand at the portal, his own papa was suffering the kind of abandonment and abuse that he didn’t even believe existed.

Belle put a hand on his soulder, ” he really didn’t want you to know,” she said gently.

“Know what,” my mom asked.

“That Pan was his father,” my other mom answered. “It appears that Gold knew for years that he’d have to pay the price for Neverland- “

“No, no,” Belle corrected, “it’s nothing to do with Neverland. He didn’t believe he’d ever have to go there. It’s the price of using dark magic to do good. The darkness is an ancient entity in itself, and becoming the host for all that darkness-“

Just then, the ground started shaking. I recognized it as what we had before. Storybrooke was going to be destroyed. My moms looked at each other with horrified expressions.

 _”Someone’s destroying the curse!”_ Regina breathed, “we’re going back!”

“Why is that a bad thing,” Grumpy asked.

“But I don’t understand,” my mom, Regina cried hysterically, “I protected the curse with blood magic! It’s in my vault in the Enchanted Forest! I couldn’t risk bringing it here.”

“But, why is the curse being destroyed a _bad_ thing,” Grumpy asked again.

“Because I will not go back with you,” I said. And suddenly it hit me. I will be my grandpa’s undoing!

“Dad!” I yelled and shook his arm.

“Henry!” My moms and my dad sobbed together.

“Listen to me!” I yelled. I saw black dots swimming in front of my eyes, and I felt like I was going to faint. “Dad, don’t do anything stupid!”

“What do you mean?” A few voices asked me.

“Undoing!” I said urgently, “that’s the key word! Don’t you see? Grandpa Gold is dead, not undone. He ended the darkness. The darkness might be able to drag him back to life somehow. But if – if the price for it is you, dad, _that_ will be his undoing!”

“Belle,” I turned to her, “please, don’t let him die for nothing. Don’t let him be undone. If you find a way to bring him back, make sure it’s _him_ and not the darkness. I don’t want to be the reason my family tries to resurrect him. I don’t want to be his undoing!”

My family was beginning to disappear, but my mom, Emma, seemed to stay solid.

“I think I can stay, even though I wasn’t born here!” My mom said.

“Because Gold wrote you into the curse,” Regina said. “You are going to forget everything, though. We are going to be just stories to you.”

Emma hugged my grandparents, Snow and Charming, and then everyone hugged me.

“This isn’t over,” I told them, as they continued to fade away, “I will see all of you again.”

And then I forgot them.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few weeks were very strange for me.

I had only the fake memories of being raised with my mom Emma, so when my dad came knocking on our door one morning in the middle of breakfast, we did not receive him very well.

My mom slammed the door on his face. The only way he got us to go to Storybrooke with him was by threatening my mom with a custody battle over me, if we don’t come for a few weeks. I said some really horrible things to him about how he abandoned us and how I don’t want to know him.

My poor dad did not remember the whole missing year, so it was like a day after he lost his papa, there I was berating him about being a bad father. He begged me to give him a chance.

“There’s no greater pain than regret,” he told me,

“Try abandonment,” I retaliated.

When we were in storybrooke, my mom and I were weirded out by all the townspeople who seemed to know us. Some things we saw didn’t add up, and my dad kept telling us that it was magic.

I did warm up to my dad eventually. I wasn’t blind to the looks my parents gave each other, even while fighting. (One day I will tell you all about how my parents slowly developed an alliance and how, seeing their longing for each other, I started playing matchmaker out of sheer frustration. But, in this story, I will just tell you about the day my parents finally became themselves again.)

Belle was managing the shop and the library at the time, and needed an extra hand to help. I gladly volunteered to be the shop owner for as long as we were in Storybrooke, excited to have a real job and responsibility.

One day my parents had a loud squabble over past wrongs. I was fed up with watching them yearn for one another behind each other’s backs, so I took the keys that Belle gave me and locked them in Mr. Gold’s shop.

They spoke for hours in there. At one point when I peeked in I could see my mom crying and yelling at my dad. An hour later I saw her sitting on the counter with him looking intensely at his face. A few hours after that I saw them hugging, my mom leaning on my dad’s shoulder, and my dad stroking her hair. I slowly opened the door, careful not to break the moment. They didn’t even notice me creeping in.

“Let’s give it another shot,” I heard my mom say, and she turned towards my dad.

My dad looked at her, he looked very emotional. They leaned into each other at the same time and kissed.

Suddenly, waves of magic emerged from their kiss, and memories flooded my brain. All the memories. I could tell that my mom’s memories returned also, because she looked at my dad differently and pulled him to her for another deep kiss.

I’ll forever tease my parents about being the true love that broke the curse which my dad’s’s father created and my mom’s parents cast.

I decided to give them some privacy and ran to my other mom. Oh, I missed her so much!

I learned that her sister was in town trying to create a spell that would change the past by using my brain among other ingredients. She wanted to use my grandpa Gold’s brain, but since he was dead, she decided that I was as clever as he was.

My heart swelled with pride at being compared to my grandpa Gold, but I also finally understood why the townspeople and my dad were so overprotective of me.

My dad and Belle were very tempted, in the Enchanted Forest, to resurrect my grandpa Gold, but fortunately, they remembered my warning, and the way I understood the prophacy. Belle read about it and confirmed my suspicions about the repercussions. They were amazed at how smart I was to interpret such a cryptic prophacy correctly.

Each member of my family felt my grandpa Gold’s absence in their own way.

My mom, Regina, was perplexed to find out how many times her frenemy, Rumplestiltskin, had saved her life from her sister, and even from her mother.

My grandparents Snow and Charming found out a lot of things he did to try and help their families. They also acknowledged and remembered how many times they took for granted that, of course, the dark one would help them.

After my mom Regina defeated her sister with white magic, (I _knew_ she had that in her!)

_(My parents, Neal and Emma were stuck in the past, and saw first-hand how hard grandpa Gold worked to find my dad. My mom Emma saw how emotional my dad got at seeing his papa, so when Rumplestiltskin held her back and asked her what happened in the future, she was surprised to find that he didn’t try to change his own doom.)_

My whole family were eager to help Belle and my dad find a way to bring my grandpa back.


	6. Chapter 6

While my moms and dad were fighting Zelena, Belle had been pouring over books. Any book that had even one word referencing the Dark One, was studied and analyzed. She read books in every language and of every type.

She found out about a scorcerer’s hat that can be accessed with the dark dagger. It appeared that only if the user of the dagger was able to turn away from darkness the hat would be revealed.

Belle was holding the box.

“Try it,” I encouraged her.

She put the box on the table and waved the dagger in a circle over the box.

Instantly, the box turned into the unattainable sorcerer’s hat.

“He turned away from darkness,” Belle said affectionately.

“More than once,” I agreed.

“Now we know how to separate my papa from the darkness.” My dad said excitedly. “Now, even if we resurrect him _with_ the darkness, as the Dark One, there’s still a chance for him to be free.”

We already had everything we needed. My mom Emma had let the hat suck out all her light magic, my dad knew my grandpa before he became the Dark One. “And he has my heart because I love him with all of my heart,” my dad kept saying. All we needed was the Dark One himself.

Belle could not find a way to bring back the dead at all. It looked like there was only one way, and it came at a heavy cost.

“What about going to the underworld,” my mom Emma said. Belle has read of a possibility of going down there.

“I don’t know anyone who was in the underworld and came back!” Belle wailed.

Belle and my dad were more than willing to take the key and open the Dark One’s vault, even _with_ knowing the price. Especially since Belle read about a potion that can help them see the dead. 

We were able to get a glimpse of grandpa Gold. It was just an image that kept disappearing but it was enough. We knew that my grandpa was suffering terribly in that special place in the underworld, just like Pan warned him he would.

When Belle saw it she almost opened the vault right then. It took both my moms and Snow and Charming and Grumpy and Red and Granny to hold her back and grab the key away. They hid it when they saw my dad also try to take it.

I didn’t blame them. We all wanted to save him from that hell. He didn’t deserve that punishment. He was a good man who just happened to host the darkest curse known to all the realms. He was being punished for all the times he used that darkness to do good!

“There has to be another way!” Snow complained.

"We will find a way to go to the underworld," I said together with my grandpa Charming and my mom Emma.

“Were going ’round in circles circles, were going ’round in circles circles,” Grumpy sang in frustration.

“If we use the key one of us dies, we can only go to the underworld if someone was already there.” Red said.

“Oh, I wish we could at least save him from that suffering! If he could just reside in the regular underworld like all the villains it would be less awful!”

“I have an idea,” my mom Regina piped up. “I will open the vault-“

“ _What?_ ” everyone turned to look at Regina as if she were insane.

“Look,” she explained, “if any of you open the vault, you will die and move on. I, after killing so many people, _entire villages _…” Regina stopped when the magnitude of what she did struck her. “Even your father was horrified by what I’d done, and he was The Dark One. I used my royal status to command my guards to kill an entire village!” Regina looked around at everyone. “I have no one to blame but my self. I did not use dark magic to do that. And even when I did use magic, any magic could be used for good, so it being dark is no excuse.”__

____

____

We all looked at my mom Regina in admiration. 

__“I will be in the underworld,” she concluded and looked at me. She smiled. "If anyone here deserves that place, it is I."_ _

__“Then, we could all go to the underworld to bring you back, Regina,” my mom Emma said excitedly, “and there will be no casualties!”_ _

__We went to the vault, all of us. Regina bravely took the key and put it in the keyhole._ _

__We all gasped when we saw how her palm got burned._ _

__Then we stepped back and watched how my grandpa emerged from a dark goo._ _

__He looked around at us fearfully. He was checking if we were OK. Our whole little family was standing together looking at him expectantly,_ _

__…and then he saw Regina on the ground._ _

“ _Regina?_ ” he kneeled to her and tried to pick her up. “ _Why?_ ” 

__My mom Regina looked at my grandpa Gold and smiled triumphantly. “I think I finally figured out what makes you tick, my frenemy,” she said proudly. “You were my teacher. The magic you taught me was dark magic, so I always assumed that you love the darkness. I assumed your goal was power or revenge, so I interpreted everything you did as wanting more power. Until I changed the way I looked at you. I realized that deep down you’re just another man. A man like thousands of others. The only thing that sets you apart is how far you’d go for the ones you love. Now, looking back at your actions, I totally get you. It’s why you took on the darkness, and why you have a chance to be free of it.”_ _

__“We have the hat,” I chimed in, and Belle nodded._ _

__My grandpa looked around at us; a small group of friends and family. He didn’t know what to make of this. He was so used to being on the outside; so used to having to prove himself innocent even when he was usually not the guilty one._ _

If anyone deserves a life with his family, Rumple, it's you," my mom Regina said. 

My grandpa Gold looked astonished. He held my mom Regina and looked at her and at each of us. “You – you _trust_ me?” He asked no one in particular. 

__“With my life,” my mom Regina answered him, and she died in his arms._ _

__“Don’t worry, grandpa,” I said, “We’re going to bring her back.”_ _


End file.
